Headrest for chairs



May 15, 1951 v. RUTH HEADRE'ST FOR CHAIRS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March5, 1948 Patented May 15, 1951 HEADREST FOR CHAIRS Vincent Ruth,Philadelphia, Pa.

Application March 5, 1948, Serial No. 13,267

4 Claims.

1 r The present invention relates to upholstered furniture or the likefor permitting individuals to relax in comfort and it relates moreparticularly to separate, detachable and adjustable head-rests forchairs, sofas and the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedhead-rest which can be removably and adjustably positioned upon a chairor sofa or the like so as to provide maximum comfort and relaxation forthe user. Another object of the present invention is to provide ahead-rest construction which is simple and inexpensive and which can bequickly and easily adjusted to fit individual chairs or sofas or thelike, as well as to fit the requirements of the individual user, andwhich is so constructed that it can be easily laundered or cleaned so asto keep it neat and sanitary.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention are apparent inthe following detailed description, appended claims and accompanyingdrawings.

It is common knowledge that most upholstered chairs, sofas and the like,are so constructed that their backs are incapable of affording propersupport for the head of the user. Thus, many upholstered chairs andsofas, etc. have relatively short backs terminating at approximatelyshoulder level so that the user cannot rest his head against the backexcept in an awkward and uncomfortable backwardly-tilted position. Otherchairs, sofas and the like, while having sufficiently high backs, are soconstructed that the head of the user must, again, be tilted backwardtoo far for comfortthe most comfortable and relaxing position of thehead being at a somewhat forward angle from the rearwardly-tilted bodyposition which is usual in most upholstered chairs or sofas or the like.

While it has been suggested in the past to provide detachableupholstered head-rests for chairs or benches, these have not provensatisfactory or commercially acceptable due to their impractical and.relatively expensive construction and due to the fact that they were notconstructed so as to provide the proper head-support relative to thebody position of the user.

- According to the present invention, I have developed, for the firsttime, a simple and inexpensive construction for an upholstered head-restwhich, when used on a chair or sofa or the like, and particularly anupholstered chair or sofa, will support the head of the user in theproper angular relationship to the body of the user and which can bequickly and easily adjusted to fit not only different shaped chairs andsofas, etc., but also the different dimensional requirements ofindividual users, and which is constructed of a minimum number of simpleand inexpensive parts which can be quickly and easily disassembled topermit laundering or cleaning whenever desired. I 7

Generally speaking, the present invention contemplates a head-restconstruction consisting of a metal frame, preferably, though notnecessarily one-piece, which has an uppermost clamping portion adaptedadjustably to fit over the upper edge of an upholstered chair or sofa orthe like and which has a lowermost portion adapted to extend downwardwithin a cloth casing member so as to make it somewhat form-retainingthecasing member having a slide fastener or similar closure along its upperedge to permit insertion and removal of a separate over-stuffed pillow.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in theaccompanying drawings forms thereof which are at present preferred,although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities ofwhich the invention consists can be variously arranged and organized andthat the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements andorganizations of the instrumen talities as herein shown and described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like referencecharacters indicate like parts throughout:

Figure 1 represents a side elevational View showing one embodiment ofthe present invention as it appears when installed on an upholsteredchair having a relatively low back.

Figure 2 represents a fragmentary front elevational view showing thehead-rest and the back of the chair-a lowered position of the head-restbeing shown in dash-dot lines.

Figure 3 represents a side elevational view of the embodiment of Figure2.

Figure 4 represents a front elevational view, on a somewhat enlargedscale, showing the headrest of Figure 2-parts being broken away betterto reveal the construction thereof.

Figure 5 represents a vertical cross-sectional view generally along theline 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 represents a rear elevational view of the embodiment of Figure4 as it appears in fully assembled position.

v Figure 7 represents a front elevational view of the head-rest ofFigures 1-6 but showing the frame in straightened-out positionthe casingmember beingbroken away better to show the relationship of the frame tothe pillow therewithin.

Figure 8 represents an exploded or disassembled view on generally thesame scale as that of Figure '7, showing the three component parts ofthe head-rest of the present invention.

Figure 9 represents a view taken generally along the line of 9-9 ofFigure '7 but showing the slide fastener of the casing member in openposition.

Figure 10 represents a fragmentary perspective view showing thehead-rest as it appears when installed on a higher backed chair or sofaor the like. a

Figure 11 represents a perspective view of a. modified form of framewhich is still differently bent.

In one embodiment of the present invention shown generally in Figures1-9, I may provide a head-rest consisting of a metal frame 20, a pillew2!. and a fabric pillow cover or case 22-.-the three members being shownin disassembled poit on n F ure 8..

The frame may consist of a single length of wire er the like which issufiicien-tly flexible t9 permit it to be bent in the manner indicatedin Figures 5 and 6 but which is sufficiently stiff so asv to beform-retaining, when bent, so that it can be manually formed intodifferent shapes depending on the furniture upon which the headt 1 2Q b.6 1-

The frame 20 may be formed of a single length of solid copper wire (orother suitable relatively flexible metal or alloy) appropriately bent soas to provide a continuous vertical arm 23 and a discgntinuous verticalarm 24, and top, bottom and intermediate horizontal arms 25, 21 and 26respectively. One end of the length of wire may be looped as at 28 toform part of the discontinuous vertical arm 24 encircling the bent endof the intermediate horizontal arm 26. The other end of. the length ofwire may be looped as at 29, at the free end of the intermediatehorizontal arm 26 encircling the continuous vertical arm 23.

It is obvious, of course, that the frame. 20 could be formed in manyother ways either from a single length of wire or the like or from aplurality of strips appropriately soldered or welded or otherwiseinterconnected.

Instead ofbeing formed from a strip of solid wire, the frame may also beformedof hollow tubing.

Thus, in Figure 11, there is shown a frame 20-12, which, as will bedescribed more fully hereinbelow, is formed of flexible spirally-woundtubing of the type employed for goose-neck lamps, armored cables or thelike.

'Thepillow case or cover 22 may be formed ofany appropriate washablewoven or knitted fabric, as for example cotton, linen, nylon, and othernatural or synthetic fabrics or mixtures thereof.

The case 22. may be generally rectangular in 0 3 .11}? and may have ahorizontal dimension slightly greater than that of the frame 20 so that,as indicated particularly in Figure '7, theframe can fit inside. thecase.

The case 22 is provided with an open mouth 30 along its upper edge-themouth 30 being constructed and arranged to be opened and closed by aslide fastener 3| which is of generally conventional construction-ofthe'completely-sepa'rabletype used on mens sport jackets, etc.

Thus, the slide fastener includes cloth tapes. 3; and 33 whieh extendalgng the entire length of the mouth 30. The tape 32 has a female stopmember 34 mounted thereon at a point spaced slightly inwardly from oneend thereof While the tape 33 has a male stop member 35 correspondinglypositioned thereon. Interlocking fastener elements 36 of conventionalconstruction are mounted on the edges of the tapes 32 and 33 in usualmanner with individual conventional stop members 31 mounted on saidtapes 32 and 33 at a. point spaced slightly inwardly from the other endof the mouth 30. A conventional slider 38 is permanently mounted on thetape 32the male member 35 being insertible through the slider and intothe female stop member 34, in conventional manner, after which theslider can be moved along the fastener elements 36 until it strikes thestop members 31, so as to interconnect the fastener elements 36 andclose the mouth 30 with the exception of the small openings 39 and 40which lie at the extreme ends of the month knarrm .v t st p members 3 3an 31:3

As indicat d pa ti ular y in ur s 6 and the o n n s 9- and 1! p r t earms 23 and 24 to emerge from the case 22- when the mouth 3%} isotherwise closed by the slide fastener 3 l.

The pillow 21 is of conventional construction and may be filled withfeltin Or down or the ke to give it. he n essary o e s an sil ence to.provide a comfortable head-rest.

The pillow 2|; n ra lyco respo ds in shape to h pillow case 2 except hssl ghtly ma le in dimension. s hat it an inserted into the case throughthe Open mouth '30.

The method of assembly is obvious from Fig.- ures. 7-9. Thus, with themouth 30 open, the Pil 21 sfirs-t inser ed the c s 2, after which thelower part of the frame 26 is also nserte h n rme t hor zontal arm 26being; so dimensioned relative to the bottem horiz n al. arm 21 that itfit just b l w the m uth 30, with the vertical arms 23 and 24 passinupward through tliejopenv mouth 3.0. at. the very ends; thereof.Thereafter, the slider 38 is positioned. adjacent, the stop member 34,as indicated in Figure 9, and the stop member 35 is inserted throu h theslider 38 and into. stop. member 34, after which the slider is movedalong the. tapes 32-and 33 until it strikes the stop member 31, so asto. close the. mouth 30, excepting for end openings 33 and 49 throughwhich the vertical arms 23 and 24 of the frame 2-il emerge from the case22. In installing the head-rest of the present. invention upon anupholstered chair or sofa or the like, the protruding portions of thearms 23. and 24 are bent. manually to conform generally to the. contourof the topv edge of the back of the chair or sofa. Where the headrest isto be positioned at the very top of the chair back, the portions of thearms 23 and 24 which are enclosed within the pillow case 22 may also bebent, as indicated particularly in Figures Mind 4 so that thepillowcaseisgiven a generally convex configuration.

In Figures le3, the head-restof the-present inv vention is. showninstalled on an upholstered chair C whose back B terminates atabout-shoula der height. so. that it, would not: ordinarily provide anysupport for the. head of' the user (ex-. c pt; When the head is tiltedbackward intoan uncomfortable. and impractical position).

ln rd rto provide adequate and. comfortable support for thehead of the;user, the head=rest of the. present, invention is positioned at theupper forward edge of the back B in a manner indicated particularly inFigures 13, so as to extend upward and forward of the back B. In thisway, the head of the user is supported in a slightly forwardly inclinedposition relative to the body, as shown particularly in Figure 1. Thishead-position affords the greatest comfort and relaxation and alsomaintains the eyes in the proper reading position.

As can be seen particularly in Figures 1 and 3-6, the arms 23 and 24 arebent so that they extend'over the top of the back B, with the horizontalarm 25 in clamping-relationship on the rear seat of the back B so as tomaintain the head-rest in position.

Where the head-rest is to be used by a shorter person, the arms 23 and24 are bent slightly nearer the arm 25 so as to position the pillow andpillow case slightly farther down along the front side of the back B, asindicated in dashdot lines in Figures 2 and 3.

In Figure the head-rest of the present invention is shown installed on achair whose back B1 is somewhat higher so that it is desirable toposition the pillow case appreciably below the uppermost edge of theback B1. In this case,

the enclosed portions of the vertical arms 23 and 24 are left straight(so that the pillow case is relatively fiat instead of being concavelycurved in cross-section, as in Figure 5)--the bend being formed onlyadjacent the upper ends of the protruding portions of the arms 23 and24.

It is apparent that the shape of the arm (or 20-11) can be quickly andeasily changed by manual pressure to enable it to be used on chairshaving different size andshape.

Thus, for example, where the head-rest is to be used on a barrel chairhaving a transversely curved back, the horizontal arms of the frame canbe correspondingly bent, to give the pillow case a, transversely concavecontour.

In Figure 11 there is shown a frame 2Il--a, referred to hereinabove,which is constructed of spirally-wound flexible tubing which can be bentinto any desired configuration.

The frame 2ila, generally resembles the frame 20 in configuration exceptthat T-shaped connecting collars 29a are used in place of the loops 28and 29 to hold the free ends of the length of tubing in position.

The frame 20-a is shown with its horizontal arms a and 2la intransversely-curved position to fit a concave-backed barrel chair, asdescribed hereinabove; the upper protruding portions of the verticalarms 23a and 24-a also being bent to fit over the top of the chair back.

It is obvious, of course, that the frame 20-a. could be given theconfigurations shown in Figures 5 and 10 (wherein the horizontal armsare not bent) and that the frame 20 could be given the configuration ofFigure 11 (wherein the horizontal arms 25, 26 and 21 could betransversely bent).

It is apparent that the novel head-rest of the present invention can bequickly and easily disassembled to permit frequent laundering of thepillow case 22 so as to keep it fresh and clean, without the need forfrequent cleaning of the pillows 2| (which is protected by the pillowcase when in use).

In other words, the case 22 can be laundered or cleaned by itself, freeof the pillow and free of the metal frame.

While I prefer to employ a slide fastener of the type describedhereinabove, it is also possible to use other closure means for themouth 30, including, for example, snap fasteners,buttons-and-buttonholes, hooks-and-eyes, etc.

While the novel head-rest of the present invention has been shown in thedrawings as used with an upholstered armchair, it can be used equallywell with other types of chairs, both upholstered and unupholstered,with sofas, with benches, with train, bus and automobile seats (bothcontinuous seats of the type used in 4-door sedans and single seats ofthe type used in Z-door sedans, etc.)

My novel headrest is particularly useful in providing head-support forthe driver of an automobile. Thus, it is the common experience amongautomobile drivers that, even with the adjustments provided by themanufacturer, the drivers seat is very seldom properly fitted to supportthe head of the driver in proper relationship to the windshield so as topermit him to operate the car with some degree of comfort.

Especially with Women drivers, it is frequently necessary to sit in astrained position with the head tilted forward in order to driveproperly.

With my head-rest, this discomfort is eliminated and the drivers head issupported in the proper inwardly inclined position relative to the bodyso as to give maximum comfort with a clear angle of vision.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it istherefore desired that the present embodiments be considered in allrespects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to theappended claims rather than to the foregoing-description to indicate thescope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to protectby Letters Patent,

1. A head-rest for an upholstered chair or sofa or the like forsupporting the head of the user at a slightly forwardly inclinedposition relative to the body position, said head-rest comprising arelatively flexible metal frame adapted to be bent so as to fit theframe upon the upper edge of the back of the chair or sofa or the likein clamping relationship thereto, a pillow case having an open mouthextending along its upper edge through-which a portion of said frame isremovably inserted, said frame having spaced vertical side-portionspassing through the extreme ends of the mouth and extending upwardlytherefrom, a separate pillow in said pillow case and removablyinsertable in said pillow case through said mouth, and closure meansformed at the mouth of said pillow case and constructed and arranged toclose all but the extreme ends of said mouth so as to lock said pillowand the inserted portion of said frame within said pillow case andconstructed and arranged upon opening said closure means to permitremoval of both said frame and said pillow.

2. A head-rest for an upholstered chair or sofa or the like forsupporting the head of the user at a slightly forwardly inclinedposition relative to the body portion, said head-rest comprising arelatively flexible metal frame adapted to be bent so as to fit theframe upon the upper edge of the back of the chair or sofa or the likein clamping relationship thereto, a pillow case having an open mouthextending along its upper edge through which a portion of said frame isremovably inserted, said frame having a lowermost horizontaltransversely extending portion positioned at the lower edge of saidpillow case 7, and having spaced vertical siderportions posie, tionedalong theside edges of said pillow case and passing through the extremeends of the mouth and extending upwardly therefrom, a separate pillow insaid pillow case and removably insertable through said mouth, andclosure means formed at the mouth of said pillow case for closing themajor portion of said mouth so. as. to lock said pillow and the insertedportion of said frame within said pillow case, said closure. meanscomprising a slide fastener extending along all but the extreme ends ofsaid mouthand constructed and arranged to be separable along the entirelength of the slide fastener, thereby to provide small end-openingsthrough which said frame emerges from the closed pillowcase and to openthe closed portion of the mouth when said slide fastener is separated,thereby to permit removal of both said frame and said pillow.

3. A head-rest for an upholstered chair or sofa orthe like forsupporting the headof the user at a slightly forwardly inclined positionrelative to the body portion, said head-rest comprising a relativelyflexible metal frame adapted to be bent so as to fit the frame upon theupper edge of the back of the chair or sofa or the like in clampingrelationship thereto, a pillow case having an open mouth extending alongits upper edge through which a portion of said frame is removablyinserted, a separate pillow in said pillow case and removably insertablethrough said month, said frame being generally rectangular with verticalside arms extending along the sides of the pillow case and passingupwardly through the extreme ends of the mouth and having top,intermediate and bottom horizontal arms with the intermediate horizontalarm positioned slightly below the mouth of the pillow case when theframe is inserted, and a closure means formed at the mouth of saidpillow case and constructed and arranged to close all but. the ex tremeends of said mouth so as to lock said pilelow and the inserted portionof said frame within said pillow case and constructed and arranged uponopening said closure means to permit re-. moval of both said frame andsaid pillow.

-' 4. A head-rest for an upholstered chair or-sofa or the like forsupporting the head of theusen at a slightly forwardly inclined positionrelative to the bodyportion, said head-rest comprising a relativelyflexible metal frame adapted to be bent so as to fit the frame upon theupper edge of the back of the chair or sofa or the like in clampingrelationship thereto, a pillow case have ing an open mouth extendingalong its upper edge through which a portion of said frame is, removablyinserted, va separatepillow in said pile low case and removablyinsertable through said mouth, said frame being generally rectangular.with vertical side arms extending along the sides of the pillow casepassing upwardly through the extreme ends of the mouth and having top,in: termediate and bottom horizontal arms with the intermediatehorizontalarm positioned slightly below the mouth of the pillow casewhen the. frame is inserted, and a separable slide fastener extendingalong all but thelextreme ends of said mouth, and constructed andarranged to be separable along the entire length of the slide fastener,thereby to provide small end openingshrou h which the side-portions ofsaid frame emerge whenv the mouthis closed, and. to open the. closedportion of the mouth when, said slide fastener is separated, thereby tope it removal f both said frame and s id pillow.

VINCENT BE EB NQE CHE! The following references are of record in thefile of this patent:

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